Stubborn

I think Esther would sometimes fit into the category of "strong-willed child." Today she was whining and not using a very nice voice at the lunch table, so I took her upstairs for some time to settle down. She then proceeded to stand at the top of the stairs for almost 1/2 hour, fluctuating between yelling, crying, whining, and being somewhat quiet. At one point I gave her a chance to use a nice voice and come back, but she wasn't ready.

Sometime towards the end of the 1/2 hour my friend Sarah called. As we were talking, she said, "It's pretty quiet there. Are your kids sleeping?" I responded, "No, Peter's playing quietly and Esther just finished a 1/2 hour tantrum. Apparently she's finished now because she's being quiet." Sarah said, "Do you think she tired herself out and fell asleep?" I was thinking that was pretty unlikely, but then I decided to look upstairs to see if she was still sitting there. This is what I saw. I guess she'd rather just go to sleep than give in and use her nice voice!